guides
Gifts for Grandchildren They'll Still Use in January
Ten Christmas gifts for grandchildren aged 3 to 8 that still get used in January: things to do together, things for when you're apart, one for later.
The best gifts for grandchildren are the ones still in use after the wrapping paper has gone: something you can do together, something that keeps you in touch between visits, or something that grows with them. Here are ten that pass that test for children aged 3 to 8, granddaughters and grandsons alike.
What is the best gift to give a grandchild?
The best gift to give a grandchild is one that brings you together after Christmas Day, not just on it. For children aged 3 to 8, that usually means something to do side by side, such as baking, gardening or a few yoga poses, or something that keeps you in touch between visits.
Toys compete with every other toy in the house. Time with you doesn't. If you're buying for the rest of the family too, our guide to presents for kids is the place to start.
How do you choose a gift they'll still use in January?
Ask three questions before you buy. Can we do it together? Does it have a next step after Christmas Day? Will it still suit them in six months? A gift that gets two yeses is a good bet. Three yeses, and it will probably still be in use at Easter.
Most Christmas gifts for grandchildren are chosen for the moment they're unwrapped. The January test asks whether it will still be in use a month later. As a checklist:
- Together: there's a part that needs you, or that's better with you.
- A next step: something to plant, finish, bake, post or book.
- Room to grow: it suits a four-year-old and still works at six.
- Space at home: it fits the house it's going to (ask the parents).
- Screen-free: it doesn't need charging or a password.
All ten ideas below work for ages 3 to 8.
Ten gifts for grandchildren that pass the January test
1. A book of "together" vouchers
A home-made booklet where every page is a plan with you: the park, a bus ride somewhere new, a pancake breakfast. Let your grandchild cash in one a month. It costs almost nothing, and the January voucher is already written.
2. A game that lives at your house
A card or board game that stays at yours, so it's waiting every visit. For under-5s, choose short turns, such as pairs or a matching game. For seven and eight-year-olds, try one with a little strategy.
3. A baking box with a family recipe
An apron, a small rolling pin, a few cutters and a card in your handwriting with a recipe your family has made for years. Bake it together on the next visit. Younger children stir and cut shapes; older ones weigh and measure.
4. A full-length yoga mat you can both use
A mat long enough for an adult turns a present into something you do together. Pick a pose and both hold it for a count of five. Seeing a grown-up wobble is half the fun. This one is ours: the Freedom Flow mat is full length, with 15 numbered poses engraved into the surface, most of them on the floor. Because they're numbered, a five-year-old can start at 1 and work through to 15, and all you have to do is copy.
5. A seed and trowel kit for spring
A child-sized trowel, gloves, a few pots and quick seeds such as cress or radishes. Sow cress on a windowsill in January, then plant the rest outside together when the weather warms up. It's a present that is still growing in May.
6. A den-building kit
Clothes pegs, an old sheet or two, a torch and a cushion, packed in one bag. Dens get built on January afternoons when it's dark by teatime, and they usually need a grown-up to hold a corner.
7. A letter kit for when you're apart
Writing paper, stickers and a few stamped envelopes already addressed to you. Put your first letter in the box so they know what to do. For a child who can't write yet, a drawing counts.
8. A book with a note inside
A picture book or first chapter book with a short message inside the cover, signed and dated. Read the first pages together on the day and save the rest for visits or a bedtime phone call. The note is the part they'll find again in ten years.
9. A day out, or a year of them
A family pass to a local zoo, museum, farm park or garden, or a ticket for a day out with you. A year's pass turns one present into many trips, and the first can go in the diary before Christmas is over.
10. Money for later, in a Junior ISA
If you'd like to give money, ask the parents whether your grandchild has a Junior ISA. GOV.UK says anyone can pay in, up to £9,000 in total for the child each tax year, and the money normally can't be taken out until they turn 18.
What are good gifts for a granddaughter or a grandson?
Good gifts for a granddaughter or a grandson are the same ten ideas above, because what makes a present last is the child's interests, not whether they're a boy or a girl. A dinosaur-mad granddaughter and a grandson who loves baking both deserve a gift that fits them, so start from what they talk about.
What do you get grandkids who have everything?
The best gifts for grandkids who have everything are time, things that get used up, or something for later. A voucher book of trips with you, a baking box, seeds, a day out or a Junior ISA top-up add nothing to a full toy box, and none of them gets outgrown by spring.
If you'd rather plan time than buy things, our list of things to do with grandchildren is full of ideas for a voucher book.
How do I make my grandchild feel special?
You make a grandchild feel special by giving them your full attention, doing something that belongs to the two of you, and coming back to it. A ritual, such as the same game every visit or a letter each month, tells a child they matter more clearly than any one big present can.
Moving together counts too. The NHS suggests adults aged 65 and over do activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least two days a week, and lists yoga among its examples of muscle-strengthening activities. Our family yoga guide has poses all ages can try together, and how to start yoga with your child covers the first few sessions.
Grandparent bundles that come with a story
Two or three small ideas together make a gift with a story. The same bundles work as presents for godchildren too.
- The visit bundle: the voucher book plus a game that lives at your house.
- The long-distance bundle: the letter kit plus a book with a note inside, for the bedtime phone call.
- The moving bundle: a full-length mat plus a voucher for "ten minutes of yoga with Grandma" or Grandad, cashed in every visit.
If your grandchild isn't interested
Some children open a present, say thank you and wander off. That's normal, and it doesn't mean the gift has failed. Don't push it on the day. Bring it out on the next visit, when there's no pile of other presents to compete with, start it yourself and let them join in when they're ready.
Frequently asked questions
Should I check with the parents before buying?
Yes, especially for anything large, anything that needs space, or money. Parents know what's already in the house, what's on other relatives' lists and what the house rules are. A quick message saves duplicates and makes sure the present is welcome.
How much should grandparents spend on a grandchild's Christmas present?
There's no right amount, and the ideas that last longest here are mostly cheap. A voucher book, a letter kit or a family recipe cost very little. If you have several grandchildren, it's often simplest to agree a similar spend for each so nobody compares.
Can grandparents pay into a Junior ISA?
Yes. GOV.UK says anyone can pay money into a Junior ISA, though for a child under 16 only a parent or guardian with parental responsibility can open one. The total paid in for a child can't go over £9,000 in a tax year, and the money normally can't be withdrawn until the child turns 18.
At what age do grandkids lose interest in grandparents?
There's no set age, and no reliable figure says there is. What tends to change is what children want to do with you. A four-year-old wants to be read to; a ten-year-old may want to beat you at cards. Shared rituals, like a game or a monthly letter, help the connection carry through.
A present you can both unroll
If the yoga mat at number 4 is on your list, here's what you'd be giving. A Yogi-Me mat has 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface. It's designed for ages 3 to 8. Three- and four-year-olds copy the poses with a little help; older children lead their own sessions. Under three, we'd wait.
At 183 x 61 cm it's full length on purpose, so there's room for them at three and still at eight, and room for you too. Katherine Mulvey, a yoga teacher and verified buyer, put it this way in her review: "It's adult size, meaning it can be used by pretty much anybody and you don't have to worry about getting rid of it when your kids get bigger." The trade-off is that a shorter mat is easier for a three-year-old to carry alone. Ours weighs 800 g and rolls up with a carry strap, so it can live at your house or go home with them.
Will it just sit gathering dust? There's nothing to set up and no screen to follow, so it's as easy to start on a wet Saturday in January as on Christmas afternoon.
It's non-toxic, PVC-free TPE, according to our supplier's specification, with 6 mm of cushioning. Wipe it with a damp cloth and a little mild soap, let it dry flat, and use it on a dry, flat floor.
Freedom Flow is floor-based, for children who need to settle. Sun Salutation is a standing sequence, for children who want to move. Both are the same size, material and price, in seven colours each, and which mat suits which child sets out the difference.
Buying for cousins as well? Two or more mats are 10 per cent off. As Becks, a yoga teacher and verified buyer, wrote in her review: "I just made the mistake of buying one, instead of two."
Each mat is £34.99 with free UK delivery and 30-day returns. Ask the parents which colour they'd pick, then choose a colour for each grandchild.
